In a surprising and hard to believe development, the media is abuzz with an announcement that Ashish Singh has been declared the Congress candidate for the Bilaspur Lok Sabha constituency.

Amidst this heightened political activity, late on Sunday evening, the news (rumor) spread that Ashish Singh had become the Congress candidate. Given the way the party works many policatal observers have shrugged off this news as a rumour. They say that it is not the Congress party's style of working to announce the name of its candidate so much in advance.

Even as people await eagerly for the name of the Congress party candidate, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Dilip Singh Judev has started his election campaign in the district on Saturday.

The element of public anxiety is even more this time in Bilaspur due to the fact that Bilaspur Lok Sabha seat has become an unreserved (general) seat starting this elections after the new delimitation came into effect in 2008.

Earlier it used to be an SC reserved seat. Punnulal Mohle the sitting MP vacated the seat after he won the Assembly polls in December 2008 and became a minister in the state government. Hence both the major parties the BJP and INC will be fielding fresh candidates from this constituency.

Bharatiya Janata Party had announced the name of Dilip Singh Judev as its candidate, more than 10 days ago.